On the Wire - Christmas Trees 101
As evergreen tree lots and cut-your-own Christmas tree growers open for business, it’s time to start thinking about the selection of your own towering tannenbaum. If you’re thinking that a live tree isn’t the most eco-friendly holiday choice, think again. Unlike their mostly plastic, artificial counterparts, live trees contribute positively to the environment where they’re raised, are a renewable resource (one to three seedlings are planted in place of every tree harvested), and are recyclable and biodegradable after their decorative purpose has been fulfilled. Just make sure you know how to keep it fresh and green for the whole holiday season.
Going shopping As with anything that comes into a home decorating scheme, everyone has their own opinions and preferences. The right tree for you is quite simply the one you like best; beyond that, all you need are some common-sense shopping guidelines to ensure that the one you select is a good fit in terms of size and freshness.
Before you head out the door on a Christmas tree quest, settle on a location for your tree and measure both the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the space. While highly visible pride of place is a given, the tree is best located away from heat sources and shouldn’t block entrances or routine household traffic.
Once you’ve got space measurements in hand and your ideal tree aesthetic in mind, start shopping with an eye for freshness. Buying from a cut-your-own tree farm is the best assurance of an ultra-fresh product, but there are plenty of great candidates available at neighborhood lots, too. Just do a freshness test by sharply bending a few of a tree’s needles with your fingers. Except in super-fibrous pine varieties, fresh, green needles will break crisply just like a fresh carrot. Some dry interior needles are natural, but take a pass on any tree that has excessive needle loss and foliage discoloration, wrinkled bark or a musty odor. If you’re still in doubt and can’t pin down the vendor as to the tree’s arrival date, move on to another lot.
Care and feeding Whether you’ll be putting it up immediately or taking a few days’ break before doing the trimming, give your tree a trunk trim and a generous drink of water. For outdoor storage, choose a shady, sheltered spot, and before placing the tree in a bucket of water, make a straight cut half an inch from the bottom of the its trunk to aid moisture absorption. The tree’s first 24 hours at your home are typically its thirstiest, so keep an eye on the water level.
When you’re ready to bring your tree indoors for its starring holiday role, make sure you’ve got a stand suited to its dimensions, with a reservoir allowing one quart of water capacity for every inch of the trunk’s diameter. Cut another half inch off the bottom of the tree’s trunk before placing it in the stand (make sure it’s a straight cut, as tapers or angles don’t help absorption or stability), and fill that reservoir with PLAIN tap water. Research has shown that it’s the best for your tree, and that such additives as bleach, aspirin and fertilizer can actually be detrimental to moisture retention. Keep the reservoir full and the water line above the trunk’s base via daily checks, and you’ll enjoy a lush, fresh tree throughout the holidays.
The season’s end will eventually arrive, giving both you and your tree an opportunity to do something good for the environment. Christmas trees can easily be recycled into nutrient-rich mulch, and most cities now have post-holiday collection programs for that purpose. To find one in your area, enter your zip code at www.ChristmasTree.org. And for a complete list of all Christmas tree varieties with their descriptions, visit www.moneypit.com and search “Christmas tree”.
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Ask Tom & Leslie - Knock, Knock - Who's There?
This week’s question from Joe in Syracuse, NY: “Why are my pipes in the wall making a knocking sound when I have turned on the hot water in the bathtub?”
There are two common causes of pipe noises. The first is expansion and the second is what is known as “water hammer.” Because your noise occurs only when running hot water, the culprit is probably expansion. If a copper pipe is not snugly attached to wood studs in your wall, it rubs on the wood as it expands. This can create a sound that could be described as a knock, bang or even drip.
The other noise, water hammer, occurs when the faucet is turned off. Water is very heavy (about 8 pounds per gallon) and as it runs through the pipes it picks up speed and a centrifugal force that “shakes” the pipe when it is turned off. The solution is to better secure the pipe to the framing it is attached to and also to install a “water hammer arrestor” which is basically a shock absorber for your plumbing system. The good news is that while both of these pipe sounds are annoying, they rarely cause any plumbing damage whatsoever.
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Got A Question About Your Money Pit?
You can do-it-yourself but you don't have to do-it-alone. Getting in touch with us is as easy as 1 - 2 or 3!
- The toll-free studio hot line is 1-888-MONEY PIT. Find out when we broadcast in your area by checking out our website at www.moneypit.com. Each week we take dozens of calls, give great advice and offer callers a chance to win a terrific prize awarded to one random caller to every show.
- Call when it's convenient for you, 24 hours a day, same number: 1-888-MONEY PIT. A live person takes your call 24/7! So -- WHENEVER you have a home improvement question -- phone it in. Simply tell our phone screener your first name, and where you're calling from...and ask your question. We’ll get back to you with the answer – or even call you back during the show!
- Click here to email your question to us. We may read your email on the air and we also respond personally to many of the email questions we get.
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On the Air - Ladder Safety
Coming up on the next Money Pit radio show, why do ladders cause more than 150,000 emergency room visits each year? User beware – we’ll tell you how to stay safe while decking those halls, on the next Money Pit radio show. To find out where we broadcast in your area, or to download our Podcast, visit www.moneypit.com.
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Safety First - Home Safe Home
According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, 25,000 home fires are started by space heaters each year. These fires kill 300 people every year -- and send more than 6,000 people to emergency rooms for burn treatment - including those burned from touching the heaters' hot surfaces. As heating fuel prices rise, more people may turn down their central heating thermostat and plug in space heaters for warming essential living spaces. It makes economic sense, but traditional space heaters must "burn" to create heat, so they do come with dangers. Some common hazards are: fires and burns caused by contact with (or close proximity to) the flame or heating elements, fires and explosions caused by flammable fuels or defective wiring, indoor air pollution caused by improper venting or incomplete combustion, as well as carbon monoxide poisoning.
To use your space heater safely:
- Choose a heater with a guard around the flame or heating element.
- Place heaters at least three feet away from objects such as bedding and
furniture.
- Use heaters on the floor only, never place on furniture.
- Have all gas and wood burning heaters professionally vented.
- Use only #14 or #12 wire extension cords with electric space heaters.
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Fun Fact - Holiday Stone Care
Increased traffic in your home – from dinner parties to overnight guests – creates wear and tear on your stone (marble, granite, limestone, slate and travertine) surface investments. This makes protecting your stone surface investments – countertops, walls, vanities and floors – a must during the holiday season. Stone Care International, Inc. offers before and after the holiday tips to ensure all your stone surfaces are clean and protected.
Test the Sealer – Before Uncle Bob and Aunt Martha arrive, take a few minutes to determine if your stone surface requires resealing. Simply place a drop of water on the surface and let it sit for 15 minutes. If the surface darkens or the water is absorbed into the surface, reseal as soon as possible. If it remains on the surface, clean it up… there is no need to reseal. Continue to maintain the surface with water-based daily stone cleaners.
If the stone does require resealing, select a water-based stone sealer like Stone Spray-N-Seal® that protects the surface from staining and is safe for kitchen and bathroom use. This and similar products are available in Home Depot’s kitchen department. The sealer is ideal for both countertop and floor use and prevents water and food-oil stains.
Prevent Dull Surfaces – Polish your stone countertops and vanities to enhance color, prevent dulling, avoid beverage rings and shun shower wall streaks before the guests arrive. If you are polishing countertops, be sure to use a product that is safe for kitchen and bathroom use, such as International Stone Polish®.
Last Minute Clean Up With a Touch of Winterberry – If the seal is good and your surfaces are protected, be sure to wash stone surfaces before guests arrive with a water-based stone cleaner. For a hint of winterberry fragrance to set the holiday mood, use Clean EnCounters® with winterberry.
Use products made for stone surfaces that do not require rinsing. Always avoid any acids, harsh chemicals, oils and standing water. Also, when using cleaners on countertops, ensure they are safe for food handling.
Once the guests are gone, check your stone surfaces to identify any stains. To remove stains use a product that contains poultice powder. Poultice powders work by reabsorbing stubborn stains from the natural stone surface.
For more stone care tips visit www.stonecare.com.
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Short Cuts - High Holiday Bills
With already sky high home heating costs, the last thing you need is the double whammy of high energy bills along with your holiday bills next month. Energy-efficiency tips from the Alliance to Save Energy can help winter home energy costs, and perhaps even provide some gift ideas!
Be on the cutting edge with light-emitting diode, or LED holiday lights. Each bulb with this new technology uses only 0.04 watts and is up to 90% more efficient than its incandescent counterpart. So a household burning 10 strands of lights for eight hours a day for a month at $0.0853 per kilowatt-hour would spend $127.67 for large, incandescent bulbs, $7.20 for traditional mini-lights, and just $0.72 for LEDs. These newer bulbs are sturdy, last up to 100,000 hours, or 20 years, and barely warm up, eliminating fire concerns.
To maximize holiday lighting savings, use timers to limit light displays to no more than six evening hours a day. Leaving lights on 24 hours a day will quadruple your energy costs – and create four times the pollution. And be safe – untended lights can cause fires, so always unplug your interior holiday lights before going to bed or leaving the house.
Stay cozy in your festive holiday attire by plugging air leaks and insulating. Sealing up air leaks with caulking and weather stripping – including caulking around the fireplace hearth – and installing adequate insulation for your climate will not only increase indoor comfort but will also reduce home heating costs by up to 20%. See www.simplyinsulate.com.
Don't send precious, costly warmed air up the chimney! While using a fireplace, reduce heat loss by opening dampers in the bottom of the firebox (if provided) or opening the nearest window slightly (about an inch), closing the door to that room, and turning down the thermostat to 50 to 55 degrees. And don't forget to close the flue when you're done enjoying the fire.
Let a programmable thermostat "remember" to lower the heat... when you leave the house empty to go to work (or overnight when you're cozy in bed), or to the mall for a day of gift shopping – and to warm it up again shortly before you return.
No roasting chestnuts over an open halogen torchiere! It can burn hot enough to cause a fire, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Instead, give yourself the gift of an energy-efficient Energy Star-labeled torchiere lamp, for a brighter, thriftier, safer holiday.
Unplug the video games and turn off the millionth broadcast of It's a Wonderful Life – and read your favorite holiday story instead. Your children may appreciate your attention and time, and you will be saving energy in the process.
Additional year-round, energy-efficiency tips and numerous resources can be found here.
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Copyright 2007 Squeaky Door Productions, Inc.
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